November 6th, 2015
Independent conservative commentators reject out of hand the idea that media enterprises could be compelled to employ secret service agents. The bill containing such a passage on ‘content providers’ is part of a 34 page package tabled by the Minister of Home Affairs in Parliament last week.
In Magyar Nemzet, Csaba Lukács admits that companies of high importance for national security may legally be expected to employ counterespionage staff, but if by ‘content providers’ the authors of the bill mean what everybody else does — i.e. a media enterprise, then the idea is unacceptable. The reason is simple, he continues — the press has a duty to keep an eye on government, but not the other way round. He hopes competent parliamentary committees and the plenary will delete the mention of ‘content providers’ from the draft.
On Valasz.hu, István Dévényi finds it difficult to take such ‘absurd bullshit’ seriously. Nevertheless, he finds food for thought in the mere fact that such an idea has become a topic of public discourse. He sarcastically remarks that he would wholeheartedly welcome a secret agent on the editorial board provided that he or she takes over the excruciatingly dull Friday night shifts.
The Government has denied that it is planning any changes to the rules in force at present, and accused the opposition of deliberately distorting the contents of the planned amendments.
Tags: press, secret services
